


Ticket To My Heart

by ArcticLucie



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Flirting, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:22:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25026133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcticLucie/pseuds/ArcticLucie
Summary: 5 times Carlos pulls TK over, and the one time he gets his number.Or the one where TK flirts in the form of speeding, and Carlos can't bring himself to give him a ticket, or his number.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Comments: 12
Kudos: 236





	Ticket To My Heart

I.

TK hammered his foot down on the pedal as soon as he passed the city limit sign. The highway ahead stretched straight and narrow as he gave in to the horsepower revving under the hood of his rented BMW. He’d gotten his license two days prior, and the open road called to him, the hot pavement promising to take his mind off his troubles, and boy did he have troubles.

Trouble had a habit of following TK Strand.

And today, it came in the form of flashing lights in his rearview.

“Shit,” he mumbled, turning down the radio which had done a marvelous job at drowning out the sirens now in pursuit as he went for the breaks. He pulled off to the side and put it in park. Car secured, he groaned and banged his head back against the headrest. Man, his dad was going to kill him.

He hadn’t seen another car for miles, but he knew he shouldn’t have broken the speed limit. He witnessed the effects of bad driving up close and personal on an almost daily basis, cutting through cars like tinfoil with the Jaws of Life to pull out the broken bodies destined for the hospital, the unfortunate ones for the morgue, so he knew better. He really did.

But then he forgot as he swallowed at the sight of the hot cop strutting toward him in the mirror. He gave a quick tousle of his hair and rolled down the window, waiting with a grin for the officer to approach.

“Where’s the fire?” the cop asked, his voice a lot warmer than TK had expected.

“Uh, funny thing, I actually am a firefighter,” TK replied, squinting into the sun as he looked up at him.

“So, you’re on your way to a call?” the officer pressed—Reyes his name tag supplied. A lift of his brow let TK know he wouldn’t buy it he said yes.

“No, off duty, but the car got away from me. I just got my license two days ago.”

“Why, was it suspended?”

“No, no, not suspended. I just moved here from New York, and I never needed one with the subways and all.”

Reyes smirked at that. “Oh, a city boy, huh?”

TK grinned. Was this flirting? Because he could totally do flirting. And not just to get out of the ticket. Officer Reyes looked delicious in his uniform, and TK did not let his mind wander to thoughts of removing it with his teeth.

He bit his lip and tried for a look somewhere between sultry and adorable, his sweet spot. “Yep,” he couldn’t help popping the p, “I’m a city boy born and bred. Can’t say I miss New York, not when Austin has such great TexMex and drop dead gorgeous scenery.” TK let his eyes take a stroll down the length of the officer, delighting in the blush blooming on his neck he noticed on the way back up.

Officer Reyes cleared his throat. “I guess I can let you off with a warning, just this once, but try and slow it down. I’d hate to have to call your fellow firefighters to rescue you after I find your car wrapped around a tree.”

TK had no reply to that, so he shut his mouth and smiled before watching Office Reyes saunter back to his cruiser. That could’ve gone better. But it could’ve gone a lot worse.

II.

A few days later, TK found himself on that same stretch of road, a giddy anticipation building in his chest as he pushed down on the accelerator. He’d rented a Boxster this time, the top down and the wind whizzing through his hair. It would look a mess when he pulled over, but maybe Officer Reyes would appreciate the freshly mussed look.

Right on cue, police lights twinkled to life behind him. He eased off the gas and guided the car onto the shoulder, following the same process as before minus the self flagellation. He made sure the fire department emblem on his hoodie stood proud at attention before watching the same sexy office saunter up to his rental.

“Well, if it isn’t the firefighter with the lead foot. Did you buy that hoodie?”

The playful tease of a smile had TK laughing. “I swear I’m really a firefighter. TK Strand, station 126.” He held out his hand for Officer Reyes to shake, and not because he wanted a good look at those long and luscious fingers or to feel them against his skin.

“The 126?” Officer Reyes asked, brow furrowing in obvious recognition of the station’s history.

“Yeah, my dad’s the new captain. I followed him down from New York.”

“Then you must know my friend, Michelle.”

TK grinned. “Wait a second, are you the cute cop she’s always talking about? Carlos, right?”

Carlos groaned. “I’m gonna kill her.”

“Don’t go breaking the law on my account,” TK teased, though he wished he’d kept his mouth shut when Carlos’ shoulders stiffen.

“License and proof insurance.”

TK blinked up at him in disbelief. “Oh, come on. We were having a nice time.”

“Just doing my job.”

TK huffed and fished around for his paperwork, fingers brushing Carlos’ as he handed them over, but at least he got another chance to stare at his ass when he walked back to his cruiser. 

A few minutes later, and he returned.

“Did you really just run me for warrants?” TK asked, taking back his license and insurance card.

“It’s standard procedure.”

TK let out a wistful sigh, and decided not to point out that he hadn’t followed it the first time they met. “You’re right. You’re just doing your job, and I was being reckless. I promise I’ll try to drive more carefully in the future.” He put his big puppy dog eyes to work and tried not to act smug when Carlos’ frown melted into an appreciative smile.

“Thank you. That’s all I ask. And don’t let me catch you speeding by here again.”

“Okay,” TK agreed, not sure if it was the truth or a lie.

“Get out of here before I change my mind and issue a citation.”

TK gave a half assed salute. “Whatever you say, Officer.”

And no, he did not pout all the way home. Because he stopped for ice cream on the way in an attempt to soothe his fractured heart.

III.

The next time, it wasn’t his fault.

“You have a tail light out,” Carlos said as he approached TK’s rented Camaro idling on the side of the road.

“Seriously? How was I supposed to know that?” he asked, eyebrows furrowing at the prospect of Carlos actually giving him a ticket.

Instead, Carlos shrugged it off. “It happens.”

TK watched his hands fall to his belt, thumbs hooking into his uniform. An unconscious gesture or a subtle invitation, TK didn’t know which. He covered up his moan with the clearing of his throat and smirked up at him. “At least I wasn’t speeding. I get points for that, right?”

Carlos bit his lip as he looked away, the hint of a smile crinkling his eyes when he looked back. “Okay, you get points for that.”

TK quirked a brow. “Does that mean I can have your number?”

“Bye, TK,” he said, turning back toward his cruiser.

“You remembered my name,” TK said, a butterfly taking flight in his chest as he stuck his entire head out the window to watch that gorgeous man walk off into the sunset.

“Get that light fixed,” Carlos hollered over his shoulder. And TK swore he saw a wink.

Needless to say, he smiled all the way home.

IV.

TK had just pulled out of the firehouse when he heard the flash of sirens, a familiar heat pooling in his gut. He really had to get a hold of himself; he didn’t need this becoming a  _ thing _. The cop followed him as he turned into a gas station and parked to wait for the inevitable. He only half expected Carlos, so when the officer of his dreams popped into view, TK couldn’t contain his excitement. 

“Do you know why I pulled you over?” Carlos asked, hands on his hips looking a little more stern than TK could handle.

“Cause you wanted to ask me out on a date?”

“Because you made an illegal right turn.”

TK looked over his shoulder and winced before turning back to Carlos. “That was an honest mistake.”

“I thought you promised to be more careful? You almost got clipped by a truck.” 

The concern on Carlos’ face had his heart beating heavy in his chest.

“I’m sorry, okay. I guess I’m a bad gay stereotype, I can’t drive.”

Carlos huffed out a laugh.  “You know, if you put a little more effort into not getting pulled over, you wouldn’t have to flirt your way out of every ticket.”

“And if you would just give me your number—”

The radio on Carlos’ hip buzzed to life. The dispatcher’s voice echoed between them as she relaid reports of shots fired, and Carlos bit out a rough, “I have to go,” before retreating to his cruiser and peeling out of the parking lot. 

It left TK a dizzy mess as t he harsh reality of Carlos’ job came crashing down around him, and he felt a bit guilty for wasting the man's time. He knew falling for Carlos meant trouble, for his weary heart and for the mess of insecurities in his head, but he couldn’t help himself. Carlos had a swagger in his step that left him spellbound and a disarming smile that made his pulse race for days after even their shortest of dalliances.

What was a Disaster GayTM to do?

V.

It came as no surprise to TK that promising not to speed along their familiar stretch of highway turned out to be a lie, and he smiled to himself when the siren behind him signaled the beginning of their little ritual.

What did surprise him was the look of frustration on Carlos’ face when he stomped toward his rented hybrid. 

“We have to stop meeting like this.”

TK smirked up at him, more turned on by his harsh tone than anything. “Says the hot cop who keeps pulling me over.”

“Stop breaking the law, and maybe I wouldn’t have to.”

“Give me your number, and maybe I will.”

Carlos bit out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s not appropriate. I take my job very seriously.”

“As you should.”

“Then please don’t make me pull you over again, TK. I can’t keep letting you off with a warning.”

TK huffed and rolled his eyes. “I never asked you to.”

“Well, we can’t keep doing this.”

“Why, do you have a boyfriend or something?” TK asked, hoping he hadn’t read the entire situation all wrong. “Do you not like me? Am I not attractive?”

“No, it’s nothing like that, and believe me, you are  _ very _ attractive. It’s just… I’m on duty right now, and this uniform means something to me. I’m well aware of the things people are willing to do to avoid getting a ticket.”

“That’s not what this is,” TK said. He had a genuine like of the guy, but how could he prove that if Carlos wouldn’t get with the program? “But I understand: with great power comes great responsibility. I get it,” he added with a frown. “I’m sorry. I won’t bother you again.” He rolled up his window, ignoring the way his name turned sour on Carlos’ lips.

And if he broke every speed limit on his way to the closest AA meeting, he couldn’t find it in him to care.

I.

Carlos stared out the windshield of his cruiser. He couldn’t stop thinking about TK, about the color of his eyes and the way they shimmered like diamonds when he smiled, or the sound of his husky laugh and his dogged persistence. And he hadn’t even seen his ass, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the way it would fit perfectly in his hands and what his body would feel like pressed into his, the taste of his lips, the scent of his neck.

A rapt of knuckles against his window had him shooting upright as he raised a hand to clutch his chest, mostly to keep his heart from escaping. The other had gone straight for his gun on instinct. And he only thought it a dream for a moment when he noticed TK on the other side of the glass.

“TK?” he rasped, rolling down the window, his chest still heaving and only partly because of the shock.

TK didn’t reply. Instead, he held up a piece of paper and waited for Carlos to take it. 

“I’m sorry.”

TK shook his head and said, “Don’t be. And since you’re not pulling me over, and you can’t stay in your uniform forever….” Carlos did not read into the way TK whispered that last part. Except he very much did. “That’s my number.”

Carlos held the slip of paper to his chest and nodded.

“Seriously, Carlos. Call. Me.”

He swallowed as he watched TK strut back to his car of the week and gained a new appreciation for how TK must’ve felt every time he walked away. Carlos could just make out the smile on his face when he climbed into his car and began a frantic search for his ringing phone.

“I can take my lunch break in thirty minutes,” Carlos said, his heart aflutter at the sudden possibilities that lay ahead for them.

“It’s a date.”


End file.
